Term "social control" was introduced into scientific circulation by the French sociologist and social psychologist Tarde. He viewed it as an important remedy for criminal behavior. Subsequently, Tarde expanded the understanding of this term and considered social control as one of the main factors of socialization.

Social control is a mechanism of social regulation of behavior and maintenance of public order.

Informal and formal control

Informal control is based on the acceptance or condemnation of a person's actions by her relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, as well as by public opinion, which is expressed through customs and traditions, or through the media.

There were very few established norms in traditional society. Most aspects of the lives of members of traditional rural communities were controlled informally. Strict observance of rituals and ceremonies associated with traditional holidays and rituals brought up respect for social norms, an understanding of their necessity.

Informal control is limited to a small group; in a large group it is ineffective. The agents of informal control are relatives, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances.

Formal control is based on the approval or condemnation of a person's actions by official authorities and administration. In a complex modern society, which has many thousands or even millions of people, it is impossible to maintain order by means of informal control. In modern society, order is controlled by special social institutions, such as courts, educational institutions, the army, the church, the media, enterprises, etc. Accordingly, the agents of formal control are the employees of these institutions.

If an individual goes beyond social norms, and his behavior does not meet social expectations, he will certainly face sanctions, that is, people's emotional reaction to normatively regulated behavior.

Sanctions- this is the punishment and reward applied by a social group to an individual.

Since social control can be formal or informal, there are four main types of sanctions: formal positive, formal negative, informal positive and informal negative.

Formal positive sanctions- this is public approval from official organizations: certificates, awards, titles and titles, state awards and high positions. They are closely related to the existence of prescriptions, determine how the individual should behave and which rewards are provided for compliance with normative prescriptions.

Formal negative sanctions- these are punishments provided for by legal laws, government regulations, administrative instructions and orders: deprivation of civil rights, imprisonment, arrest, dismissal from work, fine, official penalty, reprimand, death penalty, etc. They are associated with the presence of regulations governing the behavior of an individual and indicate what punishment is intended for non-compliance with these norms.

Informal positive sanctions- this is public approval from unofficial persons and organizations: public praise, compliment, silent approval, applause, fame, smile, and the like.

Informal negative sanctions- this is a punishment unforeseen by official authorities, such as a remark, ridicule, a cruel joke, neglect, an unfriendly review, slander, etc.

The typology of sanctions depends on the system of educational features we have chosen.

Given the method of application of sanctions, current and prospective sanctions are distinguished.

Current sanctions are those that actually apply in a certain generality. Everyone can be sure that if he goes beyond the existing social norms, he will be punished or rewarded in accordance with the existing regulations.

Perspective sanctions are associated with the promises of punishment or reward to the individual in case of going beyond the limits of normative prescriptions. Very often the mere threat of punishment (the promise of a reward) is sufficient to keep the individual within the normative framework.

Another criterion for dividing sanctions is related to the time of their application.

Repressive sanctions are applied after an individual performs a certain action. The amount of punishment or reward is determined by public beliefs regarding the harmfulness or usefulness of its action.

Preventive sanctions are applied even before an individual performs a certain action. Preventive sanctions are applied in order to incline the individual to the type of behavior that society needs.

Today, in most civilized countries, the prevailing belief is the "crisis of punishment", the crisis of state and police control. There is an increasing movement to abolish not only the death penalty, but also imprisonment and in the transition to alternative penalties and the restoration of the rights of victims.

Progressive and promising in world criminology and sociology of deviations is the idea of ​​preventiveness.

Theoretically, the possibility of crime prevention has long been known. Charles Montesquieu in his work "The Spirit of the Laws" noted that "a good legislator is not so worried about the punishment for a crime, as he will try to prevent a crime not so much to punish as to improve morality." Preventive sanctions improve social conditions, create a more favorable atmosphere and reduce inhumane acts. They are able to protect a specific person, a potential victim from possible encroachments.

However, there is another point of view. While agreeing that the prevention of crime (as well as other forms of deviant behavior) is democratic, liberal and progressive than repression, some sociologists (T. Mathyssen, B. Andersen and others) question the realism and effectiveness of preventive measures. their arguments are:

Since deviance is a certain conditional construct, a product of social agreements (why, for example, in one society alcohol is allowed, and in another - its use is considered a deviation?), Then the legislator decides what is an offense. Will prevention become a way to strengthen the position of those in power?

Prevention involves the impact on the causes of deviant behavior. And who can say with certainty that he knows these reasons? There are dozens of theories explaining the causes of deviations. Which of them can be taken as a basis and applied in practice?

Prevention is always an intervention in the privacy of a person. Therefore, there is a danger of violation of human rights through the introduction of preventive measures (for example, violation of the rights of homosexuals in the USSR).

The tightening of sanctions depends on:

Measures of formalization of the role. The military, policemen, doctors are controlled very strictly, both formally and by the public, and, say, friendship is realized through non-formalized social roles, so the sanctions here are rather arbitrary.

Prestige Status: Roles associated with prestige status are subject to harsh external scrutiny and self-monitoring.

The cohesion of the group within which role behavior occurs, and hence the forces of group control.

Control questions and tasks

1. What behavior is called deviant?

2. What is the relativity of deviation?

3. What behavior is called delinquent?

4. What are the causes of deviant and delinquent behavior?

5. What is the difference between delinquent and deviant behavior?

6. Name the functions of social deviations.

7. Describe the biological and psychological theories of deviant behavior and crime.

8. Describe the sociological theories of deviant behavior and crime.

9. What functions does the system of social control perform?

10. What are "sanctions"? What types of sanctions?

11. What is the difference between formal and informal sanctions?

12. What are the differences between repressive and preventive sanctions.

13. Give examples of what determines the severity of sanctions.

14. What is the difference between the methods of informal and formal control?

15. Name the agents of informal and formal control.

SANCTIONS POSITIVE

- English sanctions, positive; German Sanction, positive. Measures of influence aimed at the approval of the desired behavior by society or a group.

Antinazi. Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2009

See what "POSITIVE SANCTIONS" are in other dictionaries:

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- (from Latin sanctio, the strictest decree) 1) a measure of influence, the most important means of social control. Distinguish between negative sanctions against deviations from social norms, and positive sanctions that stimulate socially approved, ... ... Political science. Dictionary.

One way or another, each of us depends on the society in which he exists. Of course, this is not manifested in the complete conformity of certain individuals, because everyone has their own opinion and view on a particular issue. However, very often the public is able to influence the behavior of the individual, to shape and change his attitude to his own actions. This phenomenon is characterized by the ability of certain representatives of society to respond to something with the help of sanctions.

They can be very different: positive and negative, formal and informal, legal and moral, and so on. To a large extent it depends on what exactly the act of the individual consists of.

For example, for many of us, the most enjoyable is an informal positive sanction. What is its essence? First of all, it is worth saying that both informal and formal sanctions can be positive. The first take place, for example, at the place of work of a person. The following example can be given: an office worker made several profitable deals - the authorities issued a certificate for this, promoted him and raised his salary. This fact was captured in certain documents, that is, officially. Therefore, in this case, we see a formal positive sanction.

Actually, an informal positive sanction

However, in addition to official approval from the authorities (or the state), a person will receive praise from his colleagues, friends, relatives. This will manifest itself in verbal approval, handshakes, hugs, and so on. Thus, an informal positive sanction will be given by society. It does not find a material manifestation, but for most of the individuals it is more significant than even an increase in wages.

There are a huge number of situations in relation to which informal positive sanctions can be applied. Examples will be given below.

Thus, it can be traced that this type of encouragement for the actions of one or another individual is most often manifested in simple everyday situations.

However, as with wage increases, formal positive sanctions can coexist with informal ones. For example, a person received during the fighting. Along with official praise from the state, he will receive approval from others, universal honor and respect.

So, we can say that formal and informal positive sanctions can be applied to the same act.

All procedures by which the behavior of an individual is brought to the norm of a social group are called sanctions.

social sanction - measure of influence, the most important means of social control.

There are the following types of sanctions:

- negative and positive ,

- formal and informal .

Negative sanctions directed against a person who has deviated from social norms.

Positive sanctions aimed at the support and approval of a person who follows these standards.

Formal sanctions imposed by an official, public or state body or their representative.

informal usually involve the reaction of group members, friends, colleagues, relatives, acquaintances, etc.

Thus, it is possible to distinguish four types of sanctions:

1. formal negative,

2. formal positive,

3. informal negative,

4. informal positive.

For example , five for the student's answer in class - formal positive sanction. An example negative informal sanction may be condemnation of a person at the level of public opinion.

Positive sanctions are usually more powerful than negative sanctions..

For example For a student, reinforcing academic success with positive grades is more stimulating than a negative grade for a poorly completed assignment.

Sanctions are effective only when there is agreement on the correctness of their application and the authority of those who apply them.

For example, the nurse can take the penalty for granted if she considers it fair, and if the penalty does not correspond to the misconduct, the nurse will consider that she was treated unfairly, and not only will not correct her behavior, but, on the contrary, may show a negative reaction.

Basic forms of social control

Forms of social control - these are ways of regulating human life in society, which are due to various social (group) processes and are associated with the psychological characteristics of large and small social groups.

Forms of social control predetermine the transition of external social regulation into intrapersonal.

The most common forms of social control are:

traditions,

Morality and manners

Etiquette, manners, habits.

Ø Law - a set of normative acts that have legal force and regulate the formal relations of people across the state.

Laws are directly related to and determined by a particular power in society, which, in turn, leads to the establishment of a certain way of life. Many important events in life (getting married, having a child, graduating from university, etc.) are directly related to laws. Neglect of legal norms can lead to negative socio-psychological consequences.

For example, people living in a civil marriage, with legally unregistered marital relations, may face negative sanctions of an informal nature.

The law acts as an active and effective form of social control.

Ø Taboo – a system of prohibitions on the commission of any actions or thoughts of a person.

One of the most ancient forms of social control, preceding the emergence of laws, is taboo. In primitive society, taboos regulated important aspects of life. It was believed that when prohibitions were violated, supernatural forces should punish the violator. At the level of modern individual consciousness, taboos are most often associated with superstitions - such prejudices, due to which much of what is happening seems to be a manifestation of supernatural forces or an omen.

For example , a student going to take an exam can change the path if a black cat crosses the road; the young mother is afraid that someone else's gaze will harm the baby, and so on. A person is afraid that if the ritual is not performed by him, then unfavorable consequences for him will certainly arise. Internal taboos are (often at the subconscious level) social prohibitions in the past.

Ø Customs -repetitive, habitual for the majority ways of human behavior, common in a given society.

Customs are assimilated from childhood and have the character of a social habit. The main sign of custom is prevalence. The custom is determined by the conditions of society at a given moment in time and thus differs from tradition.

Ø Traditions -are timeless in nature and exist for a long time, being passed down from generation to generation.

Traditions are practices that:

First, they have developed historically in connection with the culture of a given ethnic group;

Secondly, they are passed down from generation to generation;

Thirdly, they are determined by the mentality (spiritual warehouse) of the people.

We can say that traditions are one of the most conservative forms of social control. But traditions can also gradually change and be transformed in accordance with socio-economic and cultural changes that affect social patterns of behavior.

For example , the tradition of the existence of a patriarchal family is gradually changing in many countries of the world. The composition of a modern family living under one roof increasingly includes only two generations: parents - children.

Customs and traditions cover mass forms of behavior and play a huge role in society. The psychological meaning of a custom or tradition – solidarity of people. Solidarity unites people of one society, makes them more united and, therefore, stronger. Punishment (negative sanctions) following the violation of tradition only contributes to maintaining the unity of the group. It is impossible to understand the essence of tradition outside the culture of the people. Many customs are eliminated with the change of life in society.

Ø Moral -special customs that have moral significance and are associated with the understanding of good and evil in a given social group or society.

Morality defines what people traditionally allow or forbid themselves in connection with their ideas about good and bad. Despite the diversity of such representations, moral norms are very similar in most human cultures, regardless of the forms in which they are embodied.

Ø Conscience – a special, unique quality of a person that determines his essence.

According to V. Dahl, conscience - this is moral consciousness, moral instinct or feeling in a person; inner consciousness of good and evil; the secret of the soul, in which the approval or condemnation of each act is recalled; the ability to recognize the quality of an act; a feeling prompting to truth and goodness, averting from lies and evil; involuntary love for the good and for the truth; innate truth in varying degrees of development (Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language. - St. Petersburg, 1997. - V. 4).

In philosophy and psychology conscience is interpreted as the ability of a person to exercise moral self-control, independently formulate moral duties for himself, demand from himself their fulfillment and evaluate the actions performed (Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M., 1983; Psychology: Dictionary. - M., 1990).

Conscience carries internal special controlling functions, it is the absolute guarantor of the implementation of moral principles. At the same time, it is impossible not to notice that, unfortunately, in modern life they do not always contribute to the development of this unique human property.

Ø Morals -the designation of customs that have moral significance and characterize all those forms of behavior of people in a particular social stratum that can be subjected to moral assessment.

Unlike morality, mores are associated with certain social groups. That is, the generally accepted morality in society can be one, but the mores are different.

For example , the mores of the elite and the mores of the working part of society have significant differences.

On the individual level morals are shown in manners of a person, the peculiarities of his behavior.

Ø Manners – a set of habits of behavior of a particular person or a particular social group.

These are external forms of behavior, ways of doing something that characterize a certain social type. By manners, we can determine to which social group a person belongs, what is his profession or main activity.

Ø Habit -an unconscious action that has been repeated so many times in a person's life that it has become automated.

Habits are formed under the influence of the immediate environment and, above all, family education. Particular attention should be paid to the fact that habits acquirenature of need if they are formed and fixed.

At the first stage of habit formation, due to its novelty, the individual experiences certain difficulties in assimilation. But when action is perfectly learned, it becomes necessary. We do not pay attention to our habits, because it is, as it were, a part of ourselves, it is something natural and necessary. Other people's habits that are not like ours can be quite annoying.

For example , newlyweds may experience some everyday difficulties due to the difference in habits. And in families that exist long enough and safely, one can observe the unity of habits or agreement about their manifestations.

A famous proverb says:

“Sow a deed, reap a habit,

Agents and institutions of socialization perform not one, but two functions:

- teach child's cultural norms;

- control how firmly, deeply and correctly assimilated social norms and roles.

social control is a mechanism for maintaining social order, based on a system of prescriptions, prohibitions, beliefs, coercive measures, which ensures the compliance of actions
the individual to accepted patterns and streamlines the interaction between individuals.

Social control includes two main elements - norms and sanctions.

Norms- Instructions on how to behave properly in society.

Sanctions- means of encouragement and punishment, stimulating people to comply with social norms.

Social control is carried out in the following forms:

1) coercion;

2) the influence of public opinion;

3) regulation in social institutions;

4) group pressure.

Even the simplest norms embody what is valued by a group or society. The difference between norms and values ​​is expressed as follows: norms are rules of behavior, and values ​​are abstract concepts of what is good and evil, right and wrong, proper and improper.

sanctions not only punishments are called, but also rewards that contribute to the observance of social norms. Social sanctions - an extensive system of rewards for the implementation of norms, i.e. for conformity, for agreeing with them, and punishment
for deviation from them, i.e. for deviance.

conformism represents an external agreement with the generally accepted, despite the fact that internally an individual can maintain disagreement in himself, but not tell anyone about it.

Conformism is the goal of social control. However, it cannot be the goal of socialization, because it must end with internal agreement with the generally accepted.

There are four types of sanctions: positive and negative, formal and informal.

Formal positive sanctions - public approval from governmental organizations (government, institutions, creative union): government awards, state awards
and scholarships, awarded titles, academic degrees and titles, construction of a monument, presentation of certificates of honor, admission to high positions
and honorary functions (for example, election as chairman of the board).

Informal positive sanctions- public approval that does not come from official organizations: friendly praise, compliments, tacit recognition, benevolent disposition, applause, fame, honor, flattering reviews, recognition of leaders or experts
qualities, smile.

Formal negative sanctions- punishments provided for by legal laws, government decrees, administrative instructions, prescriptions, orders: deprivation of civil rights, imprisonment, arrest, dismissal, fine, deprivation of bonuses, confiscation of property, demotion, demolition, dethronement, death penalty, excommunication from churches.

Informal negative sanctions- punishments not provided for by official authorities: censure, remark, ridicule, mockery, a cruel joke, an unflattering nickname, neglect, refusal to give a hand or maintain relations, spreading rumors, slander, an unfriendly review, writing a pamphlet or feuilleton, exposing article.

The assimilation of social norms is the basis of socialization. Social
behavior that is not in accordance with the norm, considered by the majority of members of society as reprehensible or unacceptable, is called deviant(deviant) behavior, and a serious violation of the law leading to criminal punishment is called delinquent(asocial) behavior.

The well-known social anthropologist R. Linton, who worked extensively in microsociology and is one of the founders of role theories, introduced the concept of modal and normative personality.

Normative personality- it's like an ideal personality of a given culture.

Modal personality- a more common type of deviant personality options. The more unstable the society, the more people whose social type does not coincide with the normative personality. Conversely, in stable societies, cultural pressure on the individual is such that a person in his views on behavior is less and less detached from the "ideal" stereotype.

A characteristic feature of deviant behavior - cultural relativism (relativity). In the primitive period, and among some primitive tribes even today, cannibalism, gerontocide (killing the elderly), incest and infanticide (killing children) were considered normal phenomena caused by economic reasons (lack of food) or social structure (permission of marriage between relatives). Cultural relativism can be a comparative characteristic not only of two different societies and eras, but also of two or more large social groups within the same society. In this case, it is necessary to talk not about culture, but about subculture. Examples of such groups are political parties, government, social class or stratum, believers, youth, women, pensioners, national minorities. So, not attending a church service is a deviation from the position of a believer, but the norm from the position of an unbeliever. The etiquette of the nobility required addressing by name and patronymic, and the diminutive name (Kolka or Nikitka) - the norm of communication in the lower strata - was considered a deviation by the nobles.

Thus, we can conclude: the deviation is relative: a) to the historical era; b) the culture of society.

Sociologists have established a trend: the more a person learns patterns of deviant behavior, the more often he encounters them and the younger his age. Violations of social norms by young people can be serious or not serious, conscious or unconscious. All serious violations, whether conscious or not, that fall under the category of unlawful act are delinquent behavior.

Alcoholism- a typical type of deviant behavior. An alcoholic is not only a sick person, but also a deviant, he is not able to
fulfill social roles.

junkie- a criminal, since the use of drugs is qualified by law as a criminal act.

Suicide, i.e. the free and deliberate termination of one's life is a deviation. But killing another person is a crime. Conclusion: deviance and delinquency are two forms of deviation from normal behavior. The first form is relative and insignificant, the second is absolute and significant.

The social consequences of deviant behavior at first glance must seem absolutely negative. Indeed, although a society can assimilate a considerable number of deviations from the norm without serious consequences for the functioning of its social organism, still constant and widespread deviations can disrupt or even undermine organized social life. If a significant number of individuals simultaneously fail to meet social expectations, the entire system of society, all its institutions, may suffer. For example, in modern Russian society, more and more parents refuse to raise their children, and, accordingly, more and more children are left without parental care. The direct connection of this phenomenon with social destabilization and the growth of crime is obvious. The deviant behavior of the masses of military personnel in military units is manifested in hazing and desertion, and this means a serious threat to stability in the army. Finally, the deviant behavior of some part of the members of society demoralizes the rest and discredits the existing system of values ​​in their eyes. Thus, corruption of officials, unpunished on a massive scale, police arbitrariness and other negative phenomena in the life of society deprive people of the hope that honest work and “playing by the rules” will be socially rewarded, and push them also to deviations.

Thus, deviations are contagious. And society, treating them carefully, has the opportunity to draw some positive experience from the existence of deviations.

First, the identification of deviations and their public declaration as such contributes to the strengthening of social conformity - the willingness to obey the norms - of the majority of the rest of the population. Sociologist E. Sagarin notes: “One of the most effective methods for ensuring that the majority of people follow the norms is to declare some as norm breakers. This allows you to keep others in line and at the same time in fear of being in the place of violators ... By expressing a hostile attitude towards insufficiently good and right people, the majority or the dominant group can strengthen ideas about what is good and right, and thereby create a society of individuals that is more loyal to attitude to the accepted ideology and norms of behavior”.

Secondly, the condemnation of deviation allows society to see more clearly what it accepts as the norm. In addition, according to
K. Erickson, sanctions that suppress deviant behavior show people that it will continue to be punished. Once the perpetrators of crimes were subjected to public punishment. Today, the same result is achieved with the help of the media, which widely covers trials and verdicts.

Third, by collectively judging norm-breakers, the group strengthens its own cohesion and unity. Facilitates group identification. Thus, the search for the "enemy of the people" served as a good means of rallying society around the ruling group, which allegedly "can protect everyone."

Fourthly, the emergence and even more widespread
in a society of deviations indicates that the social system is functioning incorrectly. The growth of crime indicates that there are many dissatisfied people in society, the low standard of living of the majority of the population, and the distribution of material wealth is too uneven. The presence of a large number of deviations indicates the urgent need for social change.

Sociology / Yu. G. Volkov, V. I. Dobrenkov, N. G. Nechipurenko [and others]. M., 2000. S. 169.